Gabby Williams

Jam On It and Reed High School

Williams was born on 9 September 1996 and grew up in the Reno area of northern Nevada. Her father, Matt Williams, founded Jam On It, a youth basketball program, and ran camps every summer. "My Dad had camps throughout the entire summer since I was three, four years old," she told Nevada Sports Net in 2024, when she came home to host a camp of her own. He died in March of that year.

At Reed High School she led the team to a large-schools state championship in 2012, as a sophomore, and was named a McDonald's All-American. Knee injuries that needed surgery ended both her junior and senior seasons early.

Summers also meant long drives west on Interstate 80 to Oakland, where her cousins lived, and travel basketball with the Mission Rec Rebels and the Bay Area Bulldawgs. "I would not be half of who I am without the Bay Area," she told the San Francisco Standard in October 2026. She now lives in Oakland and commutes to the Valkyries.

Two NCAA Titles at Connecticut

She played college basketball at the University of Connecticut, where the Huskies won consecutive national championships in 2015 and 2016. Williams was twice an All-American and was named Defensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference, according to her WNBA profile and the Valkyries.

Fourth Pick for the Chicago Sky, 2018

The Chicago Sky took her fourth overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft. ESPN's career record shows her in Chicago for three seasons, from 2018 to 2020, and then with the Seattle Storm for four, from 2022 to 2025.

The 2025 season in Seattle was her best before Golden State. She made her first All-Star team and the All-Defensive First Team, finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and led the league in steals with 2.3 a game and 99 in total. She also set career highs of 11.6 points and 4.2 assists per game.

Tokyo Bronze and Paris Silver for France

Williams has dual American and French citizenship through her mother, Therese, who is from France, and she speaks French. That made her eligible for the French national team, and she chose it. USA Today ran an explainer on the decision in 2024 under the headline "Why is Gabby Williams playing for France?"

With France she won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021, and was named MVP of the Olympic qualifying tournament in February 2024. Six months later, at the Paris Olympics, France reached the final and took silver. In September 2026 the French team won silver again at the FIBA Women's World Cup, the San Francisco Standard reported, a month before her WNBA title.

Fenerbahce, ASVEL, and the Valkyries Contract

Between WNBA seasons she has played club basketball in Europe. With LDLC ASVEL Feminin in Lyon she won the EuroCup in 2023. She then played three seasons for Fenerbahce in Istanbul, where the team won consecutive Turkish Super League titles, the Turkish Cup in 2026, and the EuroLeague, and she was named MVP of the EuroLeague Final Four. In 2024 she received the Alain Gilles Trophy.

The Valkyries signed her as a free agent in April 2026. The team's announcement said only that the deal ran several years. Nevada Sports Net reported it as a three-year contract worth about $3.7 million, with salaries of $1.19 million in 2026, $1.2495 million in 2027, and $1.309 million in 2028. That schedule has not been confirmed by a second outlet that could be read for this article. It also covers only her WNBA pay, not European club wages or endorsements, which have not been disclosed, so this article does not give a net worth figure.

"This is my time to give my everything for this community," she told Yahoo Sports during the Finals.

Sources

• Gabby Williams Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and More | WNBA
• Gabby Williams Biography - ESPN
• Golden State Valkyries Sign WNBA All-Star Forward Gabby Williams to Multi-Year Deal
• Valkyries Crowned 2026 WNBA Champions in Game 7 Victory Over the Dream
• 'Unbelievable stuff': How Gabby Williams powered the Valkyries to championship glory
• The Valkyries' title hopes rest on Gabby Williams. Can she carry them in Game 7?
• 'An instant fit': Why the Valkyries' Gabby Williams is the perfect Bay Area sports star
• Gabby Williams returns to Northern Nevada roots to host youth basketball camp
• After winning bronze in 2021, Reed's Gabby Williams gears up for another Olympic Games
• Reed High alum Gabby Williams signs three-year, $3.7 million with Golden State Valkyries
• Why is Gabby Williams playing for France? Former UConn, WNBA forward has dual citizenship